A cooler is a piece of equipment that lowers the temperature of a substance or mixture of substances. The inside of a cooler has many coils that contain a cold liquid. A stream enters the cooler and the components in the stream become cooler as the liquid in the coils becomes warmer. The details of how this heat transfer takes place and how we can work with this idea mathematically will be learned in a class known as Thermodynamics.

A basic schematic of a cooler is shown below:

 

 

 

 A heater is a piece of equipment that raises the temperature of a substance  in the same way that a cooler lowers the temperature of a substance. A cool stream enters the heater where coils containing a hot liquid transfer heat to the cooler liquid. In some cases, electricity is used to heat a metal coil, which then is placed in contact with the substance that we want to apply the heat to. If you have ever boiled water on a coil stove top,
this is precisely how a heater functions. In the case of the stove, heat is transferred from the glowing, red coil to the cool water in the pot.

A basic schematic of a heater is shown below:
 
 

 

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